Woohoo ... I can write today's post because Carin is still ill and Michiel also has the flue now. That the flue is in the house I have noticed because for some days now there hasn't been any cross stitch or quilt stitches made. Luckily there where 3 SBS blocks I haven't show and which where finished because I don't know where else I would talk about !

The first block I show is I-4 Anvil and I love that light blue fabric that is been used, don't you?

HA-CHOO !! oh my, I'm also started sneezing, I hope I don't get sick too because who would bring me the thyme syrup? I will show the 3th block and then I'm going to drink some of that syrup. This block is called C4 Sisters Choice and it has also some beautiful flower fabric.

We hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve and also we want to thank you for all the lovely comments you left here on this blog. We enjoy reading them each time. This is the last post of this year and on New Years day Carin will announce the give away winner. So we will see you then !! ... and ... be careful with all that fireworks tomorrow, I think its dangerous that stuff.

My cough is bad and my body feels if it went through the drier. I don't do much stitching now. Reading a book I do normally in bed before I go to sleep, but now that I'm sick I read also during the day.

The 3 books I bought last month from Maite Carranza, the war of the witches trilogy, I have finished and for the one who hasn't read them ... DO IT !, because they are so beautiful. When my friend Gerry last week here was, she gaf me a bag of books for keep and in the bag was a book that I'm now reading. Its Plain and Simple (A woman's journey to the Amish) from Sue Bender. A fantastic book about a woman who is going to live for a couple of months with the Amish.

The book has not so many pages so I think I have finish it this week, but the next book, that was bought yesterday, is already waiting. Its Angelology from Danielle Trussoni. The story follows a nun in New York who unwittingly reignites an ancient war between Angelologists, a group who study angels, and a race of descendants of angels and humans called the Nephilim. The story blends ancient biblical pericopes, the myth of Orpheus, and the fall of rebel angels. Luckely this book has a lot of pages so I can read for awhile.

Most books I read in English and order them by Bookdepository, but sometimes when a Dutch book has a large discount I buy it in Dutch. A English book is also much cheaper then a Dutch book. Often I get the question if I'm not a member of a library. No, I'm not a member of the library. The reason is that they don't have the books I like to read. Most of those books aren't translate in Dutch and the English books they don't have. That is the reason why I always buy my books. But I don't mind it at all because my book-cases are growing and growing and I like to read a book again after I have read it some time ago. So I keep myself busy with reading now I'm sick and I have still have some unread books lying in the book-cases and there are 2 new ones on the way from England again.

Three days ago nothing was wrong but since then my throat and body hurts. I think I got the flu. But I promised to show some pictures of our Christmas tree, so here we go. You can click each picture so you can see them larger.

And then now ... the last Christmas ornament of this year. I will stitch more in january :-) This pattern is from LHN with 1 skein Belle Soie of Crescent Colours. You could choose from 4 colors and I choose Red Fox.

With the solstice we celebrate the re-entry of light. It is a good time to do wished for the new year. This day has the longest night of the year. After this long night, days become longer, so we celebrate the return of light. For this reason this feast is also called the lightfeast.

It is a time of release and start again,… become born again.… see the light. It is time to look back on the benedictions of last year and to celebrate this with friends and family. This day is the first official day of winter. The mother goddess gives birth to the sun child and to hope, because new light is born.

Traditional activities: decorate the Christmas tree, tell stories, making wreaths, send wishes, sing, making a yule block and burn up later.
You can also hang holly leaves and mistletoe. Green staying branches and red berries symbolize in these dark days that nature will be green again.

Customs for Yule:
With Yule there are set large bonfires. Partly to celebrate the return of the light, but fire also has a transforming functioning. Fire has the spark of divine in itself, the spark each year again after winter will fertilize mother Earth. For this reason a large woodblock was burned, the Yule-block.
The ash is kept and scattered over the field with Imbolc. Fire does not destroy the fertility of the wood, but transforms and rejuvenates these increase strength to let grow also in new spring to vegetation. Because not all of us has a field you can also scatter the ash in your garden with Imbolc.

The colors which are used where rood and green.
Most of current Christian Christmas customs, originate from the old customs of the Yule celebration, such as the Christmas tree and the colors red and green.

Making a Yuleblok:
Take a block of oak, ash or pine and make it flat so that it firm lies. Drill 3 holes in the upper part, large enough to place a candle there. Then you can decorate the block with for example pineapples, holly, moss, leaves.

What can do you with a yule-block:
You can light the candles on the Yule-block during your celebration and then pronounce the wishes you had in your thoughts to enter the new year.
When you light candle 1 you pronounce a wish for yourself.
When you light candle 2 you pronounce a wish for your loved ones.
When you light candle 3 you pronounce a wish for the world.
After the celebration you can burn the Yule-block in a fire basket in your garden to give the wishes extra strength and to celebrate the light. The Ash is kept until Imbolc.

Above all, Yule is a celebration of the return of the light, the promise fulfilled of light birthing out of darkness. It is a time to share love and Celebrate with our community of family and friends.
And the Wheel Turns...

This afternoon we had some lovely visit. Our best friend Gerry came with 2 of her friends who also quilt and cross stitch to look at all the ornaments I made recently. They brought us a beautiful cake, not to eat for us because its a birdcake full of seeds so the birds can eat from it.

On the Yahoogroup The Stitch Specialists Abi designed for the members an ornament called Angel Wreath and when I saw it, I immediately knew I had to make this for our friend Gerry. Gerry has pancreatic cancer and we where shocked when we hurt it just as she did. On top I attached a little heart so she knows that we love her and we think of her all the time.

I got a message last night that my last ornament was received by Gert so now I can show it. This is Spool Ornament from Sue Hillis from the JCS Christmas Ornaments 2007. Since Gert is a quilter I thought this would be suitable for him.

I just looked in the sidebar (finished 2011) that this was my 41th finish this year. There are many ornaments which are small but I'm happy with the result. I hope that before its january 1 I have some more finishings, such as the January cottage of CCN and Winter of the monochrome serie of LHN. The 12 days of Christmas I can't finish before Christmas but I will start that anyway so its ready by next Christmas. My next post shall be the give away for the Vintage Christmas :-)

This week I made another ornament and this one was for Marianne who recieved it so I can show it now. The ornament is called Love and Dreams and is from Angel Stitchin from the JCS Christmas Ornaments 2001.

When I first saw this pattern I ordered it right away because I loved it. I hoped to finish it before Christmas and I did !! The only thing that I have done is change some colors because I wanted it a less "sweet" and a bit more of a country look. Under the picture you will find the colors that I have used.

Well ... now that I have finished this piece I have the pattern lying here. Shall I stitch it again? No I don't ! Because I had so good news from the hospital yesterday, I'm going to give this pattern away. So watch my blog for the next few days :-)

Be kind to Mother Nature

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."~Albert Einstein

The beauty of nature

Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! ~Author Unknown

A fairy ...

When you feel a little breeze, or notice a tickle, or need to sneeze or find your things are rearranged or something seems a little strange, look very closely and you might see sparkly dust, or a buzzing bee: Behold! a fairy with gossamer wings has come to show you wonderful things.